Household electric refrigerator



Aug. 27, -1929. c. PHILLIPS HUSEHOLD ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR 4Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 18, 1926 mw Vw Aug 27, 1929- c. PHILLIPSHOUSEHOLD ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1926 f 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Allg. 27, 1929. Q PH|| |P5 1,725,933

V HOUSEHOLD ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1926 4 Sheetsj-Sheet 4Patented' Aug. 27, 1929.

` UNITED STATI-:S

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES PHILLIPS, or WICHITA, KANSAS, AsSIeNoR To WILLIAM H. PHILLIPS,or'I WICHITA, KANSAS. l f- HOUSEHQLD ELECTRIC REFBIGERTOR.

Application mea August 1s, 1926. Serial No. 130,068.

rlhis invention relates to refrigerators of that 'type embodying a brinetank, an expansion coil, compressor, an electric motor for operating thecompressor, and a thermostatic 5 switch in the motor circuit for keepingthe temperature of the refrigerator within certainpredetermined limits.The present invention has for one of its objects to provide arefrigerator of this character which may be efficiently operated at'acomparatively small cost, which may be maintained in a highly sanitarycondition with the expenditure of comparatively little labor, and whichmay be manufactured and Sold at a comparatively small cost.

i With the foregoing and other objects in view,the nature of which willbecome ap- Uparent as the 'description proceeds, the invention consistsof the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and yclalmed, andl illustrated in` theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view vtaken on a plane extending vertically andcentrally through a refrigerator constructed in' ac cordance with myinvention, v

Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the verticalplane in` dicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure?, is a sectional view on an enlarged Scale taken on the verticalplane indicated by the line 3`3 of Figure 1, o

Figure 4 is a sectional v1ew on an enlarged scale taken on thehorizontal plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a sectional view on an enlargedy scale taken on thehorizontal plane indicated by the line 5 5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a detail Sectional viewwtaken Figure 4,

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the plane indicated by theline 6-6 of g is a detail sectional view'of oneA vlustrating the meansthrough the medium,

noncorrosive metal, such as stainless steel, and positioned between themis insulation 4. The insulation 4 is made up -of pressed cork rings 4?,which are located between the side walls 1 and 1a and are connected byship-lap joints 4b. and 4d of the insulation, which lportions arelocated between the top walls 2 and 2ZL and the bottom Walls 3 and 3a,are formed integrally with the top and bottom rings 4a so as to avoidjoints in the insulation at the corners of the cabinet. The innersurface of the cabinet is perfectly smooth, and .the

walls 1, 2 and V are 'connected by roundedl portions as shown at 5,whereby to permit the cabinet to be easily maintained in a highA lySanitary condition.

The top of the cabinet is provided with walls 3 and 3a. `These walls aremade of The top and bottom portions 4c' a central opening in which isremovably .po-

sitioned a"main lid 6, and said lidu is provided with a central openingin which is removably positioned l an auxiliary lid 7. The top walls 2and 2a areprovided, at the opening formed' therein for the) reception ofthe lid 6, with annular flanges-Sswhich, to`

In place between said walls. The fiber ring 9 extends betweenthe flangesEl to insulate 'thetop walls 2 and 2', and said ring extends slightlybeyond the outerv face of saidA flanges to form a non-metallic seat` forthe lid 6. The lid .6 comprises inner and outer plates 6'1 and 61 ofnon-.corrosive metal, and positioned between'said platesv are aninsulating pressed Cork ring 6 and insulating liber rings '6d and 6.;The'jrings -6'l and 6 are retained in place by" flanges 6t and screws6g, which latter by reason of their ether withv screws 8a, hold a fiberring 9 engagement with the rings hold the plates 6a and 6b together.-The rings 6d and 6e extend between the ianges 6f 'to insulate the plates6al and 6b, and project beyond the outer faces of said flanges. The ring6d by reason of its extension beyond theouter edge thereof, provides thelid 6 with a non-metallic part for contact with its seat. As the ringGesextends beyond the inner edge of the` lid 6, it provides anon-metallic seat for the lid 7. The lidA 7 is similar to the lid 6, andthe ber -ring thereof is designated 7a and the insulation 7 b. The ring7"L provides the lid 7 with a non-metallic side for contact with itsnon-metallic seat carriedby the lid 6.- As the plates 2 and 2aof the topof the Ncabinet are thoroughly insulated, as the metal parts of the lids6 and 7 are also thor oughlyjnsulated, and as vno metal parts ofsaidtop-and lids are in contact, thereis no possibility ofheat beingconducted to the intei'ior of the'cabinet.

. The lids 6 and 7 are provided with hollow which the former overliesthe top i of the cabinet -and the latter overliesl the lid 6. Hollowelastic gaskets -12 and 13 are positioned in the ianges 10 and 11,respectively,

and contact with'the top of the cabinet and f the top of the lid 6, andsaid gaskets function in conjunction with the fiber rin s 9, 6b, 6c and7, to exclude heat from the interior of the cabinet.

Brackets 19 are suspended from the lid 6 by means of rods 20, andsupported thereby is the brine tank 21 of the cooling system of therefrigerator.l The brine tank 21 has a central compartment or brinechamber 22 which isopen at its.top and is provided for the reception ofan ice cream freezer and deepfpaps ormolds for 'the making of ice. Thebrine tank 21 also has an annular cham- 'ber 23 whichsurrounds thecompartment 22 "through the opening in the lid 6, and to excludeodors/from this compartment there is provided acklindrical partition 24which lextends from thy the bottom ofthe lid 6. The partition 24 issecured to the-lid 6 and brine tank 21, cuts oli' ,all communicationbetweenl the brine chamber 2 2 andthe interior of the cabinet,andassists the-rods 20 to supportV the brine t ank. An operating shaft.25 for the ice creamzfreezcrfla, which may be of anytwell known or.appropriate construction is jour'-V naled, in the lid 7, and may ,ifdesired be turned b vhand. vIt is preferred, however, to provide anelectric mot-or 26 for turning the shaft 25. The motor 26 is mountedupon the top of the cabinet, andthe armae top of the brine tank 21 to.switch and thermostat, both of which may shown, for starting andstoppingthe 'motor 26, may be mounted upon any suitable part a ballVbearing 25,b located within the'lid 7,

vand the lower end thereof is detachably engaged with the stirrer staff25c of the freezer 25a as shown at 25d.

To adapt the vrefrigerator for cooling drinking water, a coil 30 isprovided. The coil 30 surrounds the brine tank 21 and communicates at`its upper end with a` cup 31 mounted upon and secured to the top of thecabinet. The lower end of the coil.` 30 communicates with a faucet 32which is located l at a side of the cabinet directly Aabove a of abottle, has the neck thereof positioned inthe cup 31. v

In addition to the brine tank 21, the'cobling ysystem for therefrigerator comprises an expansion coil 35, a condensencoil, acompressor 37 and a liquid receiver 38. .All

lof the cabinet. The shaft 25 is carried by these parts with theexception of the coil 35, are together with an electric motor 39 foroperating the compressor 37, mounted below the Acabinet which to permitof-this being done is supported by legs 40 provided with castors 41. Thecoil 35 is mounted in the brine' tank 21, and an expansionil 35n ismounted in the brine compartment 22. 42 designates the xli id line whichextends from the liquid receiver 38 to the ex pansion coils `35 and 35,and at'its point of connection with thcoils there is pro-` vided anexpansion valve 35. 43 designates the vapor return line which extendsyfrom the coils 35and 35 to the compressor 37. 45 is the connectionbetween the condenser coil 36 and liquid receiver 38. The make andlbreak switch for the motor 39 is mounted in 4a case-'positione'd belowthe Cabinet, and-the thermostat 47 by which this switch is controlled tokeep the temperature of the refrigerator within certain ypredeter- 47aformedvby olset-ting-a, part of the partition 24.- and is accessiblethrough they openin the lid 6. The make and break .mined limits, ismounted'in. a compartment be of any well known or appropriate conphaseof each rotation thereof to engage the rack teeth 51 and during anotherphase of each rotation thereof to engage the rac-k teeth. 52and thusimpart a continuous re ciprocatory movement to the rack 50. The

sulated from each other.

rack 50 is connected directly to the piston rod 54 of the compressor 37,and is snpported by a casing 55 removably connected to the stufiing box56 of the compressor. The casing 55 is adapted to contain oil tolubricate the rack 50 and pinion 53. The shaft 49 is driven from thearmature shaft 57 of the motor 39 by a belt 58 of the V-type whichpasses about a pulley 59 fixed to the shaft57 and a larger pulley 60fixed to the shaft-'49.

Access to the food compartment ofthe refrigerator is gained by way ofone comparatively small opening 61 which is closed by a door 62 havinginner and outer transparent panels 62a and 62" to permit the contents ofthe food compartment to be seen without opening the door. The panels62"t and 621 are secured to a metal frame 62C, the inner and outer'Walls of which arev in- The contents of the food compartment issupported by shelves 63 which are of sectional formation and detachablysecured to a vertically disposed shaft 64. The shaft 64 is supported atits upper and lower ends by ball bearings 65 and 66, respectively. Thebearing 65 is carried by a casing 67 for bodily movement in an axialdirection whereby to permit the ready application and removal of theshaft 64. The casing 67 is secured to a drip pan 67"JL and is providedat its lower end with a removable split ring 68 for supporting thebearing 65. The bearing 65 is held against casual upward movement, inwhich direction it must be moved to eect the release of the upper end ofthe shaft 64, by a spring 69.

The sides 1 and 1a are provided at the door opening 61 with flanges 1band 1c which support a fiber gasket 1d which projects beyond the flangesto provide a non-metallic seat for the door 62, and the door is providedwith a fiber gasket 62a which projects beyond the edges thereof forcontact with said seat.

As the metallic parts of the cabinet, lids 6 and 7 and door 62 do notcontact there is no possibility of heat being conducted into the cabinetabout the lids and door. In view thereof, as the inner and outer wallsof the cabinet, lids 6 and 7 and door 62, are thoroughly insulated, andin view of the small size of the door opening 6.1, it is possible toefficiently operate the refrigerator without maintaining the coolingunit at a temperature so low as to result in the drying up of thecontents of the refrigerator. This prevents the moisture in therefrigerator from congealing on the cooling unit, and maintains therefrigerator at the desired humidity as well as temperature.

The shelves 63 are circular and sectional. Each shelf section comprisesa frame 63a of sector formation to which is secured a perforated plate63b .or shelving wire, and a diametrical rib 63c which vextends inwardlybcyond the inner end of the shelf section. The inner ends of the frames66a rest upon the shoulders 70 of collars 70 which are secured to theshaft 64, and the inner ends of the ribs 63c enter vertical grooves 7()bin the collars. The collars 70a are provided at the upper ends of thegrooves 70b with shoulders or lugs 70c .which engage in recesses 63d inthe inner ends of the ribs 63c so as to prevent the shelf sections frombeing accidentally disconnected from the collars 70a. The collars 70aare secured to the shaft 64 by set screws 71, and may be adjustedvertically on the shaft so as to support the bottom shelf 63 at anydesired distance from the bottom of the cabinet and the top shelf 63 atany desired distance from the bottom shelf. The frames 63a are securedtogether by pins 625e which removably pass through inter-fitting eyes63f on the sides of the frames. To remove the shelves 63, it is onlynecessaryl to withdraw the pins 63", tilt the outer' ends of theirsections upwardly so as to disengage the ribs 63 from the shoulders 70C,and thereafter withdraw the sections through the door opening 61. Afterthe shelves 63 have been removed, the shaft 64 may be removed by firstmoving it upwardly so as to withdraw the bearing 66, which is securedthereto and removably positioned in depression 66a in the bottom of thecabinet, this being possible .due to the fact that the bearing 65 isheld in active position by the spring 69. After this has been done, theshaft may be readily withdrawn through the door opening 61 in a mannerthat should be apparent. After the removal of the shelves 68 and shaft64, the entire inner surface of the cabinet is freely accessible andfree of brackets and the like, and due thereto said surface may bereadily cleaned.

All moisture accumulating on the brine tank 21 falls into an annular'pan 76 and a cylindrical pan 76a which latter is in communication withthe upper end of the hollow shaft 64. Troughs 7 6b extend from the pan76 to the pan 76 and convey water" from. the former to the latter. rThetroughs 76" are positioned directly below the brackets 19 so as to catchany moisture dripping therefrom. \The bottom portion 21a of the brinetank 21 slopes downwardly and outwardly in the direction of the pan 76,and the bottom portion 21b of the brine tank slopes in the direction ofthe center of the pan 76, where'b `to direct all moisture accumulatin ontie brine tank into the pans. A drainl nipple 77 extends through thebottom of the cabinet in alinement with the shaft 64. A water seal ofany well known or appropriate construction will be connected to thenipple 77.

In order to permit the shelves 63 to be readily turned without openingthe door 62,

a shaft 78 is geared as at 79 to the shaft 64 and is provided at itsouter end with a hand crank 80. A

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings,

embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shownis merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desiredas are Within the scope of the invention as claimed.

IVhat is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having an opening in the topthereof, aclosure ofr the opening and provided with an opening, aclosure for the opening in the 'irst named closure, a cooling systemincluding a brine tank arranged Within the cabinet and having a brinechamber open at the top, and a partition surrounding the chamber andextending from the upper side of the tank to the under side of thesecond named closure.

2. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having an opening in the topthereof, a closure for the opening, a cooling system including a brinetank having a brine chamber open at the top and registering With saidopening in the cabinet, a partition surrounding the brine chamber andopening and extending from the top of the tank to the top of the cabinetand secured to said parts, rods secured to the top of the cabinet, andbrackets secured to the rods and upon which the tank rests.

3. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet provided with an opening in itstop Wall, a cooling unit arranged. Within the cabinet in spaced relationto said wall thereof, said unit being provided With a chamberregisteringWith the opening in the top Wall of the cabinet, and a partitionextending from the top of the unit to the top Wall of the cabinet andsurrounding said opening in the cabinet and the open side of thechamber, said partition constituting suspending means for the unit andcutting off communication between the interior of the cabinet and saidopening and chamber. y

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature.

CHARLES PHILLIPS.

